China sacks health minister

China's Health Minister was sacked today as the extent of the SARS crisis was revealed.

There had been speculation that Health Minister Zhang Wenkang and Beijing Mayor Meng Xuenong were to be punished when they failed to appear at a Sars news conference today.

Shortly after the two-hour event concluded, Xinhua reported that Zhang was removed from the post of secretary of the leading Party members’ group of the Ministry of Health of the Communist Party of China.

The report said Meng Xuenong lost his spot as the deputy secretary of the party’s Beijing Municipal Committee.

Xinhua cited the party’s powerful Central Committee as its source.